Levant in February 2026: the most important developments in society
Society in the Levant in February 2026 was shaped by returns and camps in Syria, minority questions, and events in Lebanon and Jordan.
Syria's new government took steps to return property to Syrian Jews who left decades ago, and on 11 February property was returned. On returns, the head of the UN refugee agency visited the Turkish-Syrian border amid accelerated voluntary returns, and Lebanon said it wants the majority of its one million Syrian refugees to go home this year. Residents of al-Hol camp welcomed an imminent return home, and on 25 February Syria's Interior Ministry called the camp a "forced detention camp". Australian women held in a Syrian camp said they would accept their children returning home separately. On 8 February two children died in floods at displacement camps in Syria. On 27 February the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to end protections for Syrian immigrants.
Kurds in northeastern Syria feared the end of their autonomy, and on 10 February Turkey's foreign minister highlighted rights and security for Syria's Kurds. Women from the Alawite minority described kidnap and rape, while Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said there was no violence against minorities.
In Lebanon, five people died when a building collapsed in Tripoli on 8 February. Jordan, Syria and Russia announced that Ramadan begins on Thursday 19 February, and Prince Harry and Meghan were to meet refugees from Gaza in Jordan.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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